In the Dark of the Night
by EternallyEC
Summary: When Bella’s guy-magnet ability backfires, how will she and Edward deal with it? WARNINGS: This story deals with NCS non-consensual sex and the consequences of it.
1. Chapter 1: Aftermath

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea; all Twilight characters and trademarks are property of Stephanie Meyer

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the idea; all Twilight characters and trademarks are property of Stephanie Meyer!

**Summary: **When Bella's guy-magnet ability backfires, how will she and Edward deal with it?

**WARNINGS: **This story deals with NCS (non-consensual sex) and the consequences of it.

**Timeline: **Post-New Moon; AU

**Story Notes: **This takes place the summer after NM. Everything in the Twiverse is the same up until this point except that Rosalie has already told Bella her story.

**Title: **In the Dark of the Night

**Story Rating: **R

**Chapter 1: **Aftermath

I felt dirty… like a dozen showers wouldn't be enough to make me clean again.

I heard a car pull up in front of the house and I immediately knew who it was—Charlie was out of town for the weekend for a funeral, reluctantly leaving me home alone—but as the Cullens were going on a 'camping' trip he didn't have much of a choice. Edward hadn't wanted to go but I had assured him I'd be fine, not wanting him to suffer for my sake.

I was regretting that decision now.

With a whimper I pressed myself even more tightly against the wall and wrapped my arms around my knees, pressing my face into the table they made as the sobs began again. My body shook from the force of them and I couldn't bear to think of what he would think when he found me like this.

"Bella?" His voice was a mixture of fear, worry and fury. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "What happened?"

When I didn't answer he spoke again. "Bella." His voice was strained and closer. "Bella, love, please answer me. _What happened?_"

"Don't look at me," I whispered. My voice was muffled by my knees but I knew that he would understand me.

"What?"

"Look at something else," I ordered, my voice gaining strength.f

"I am," he assured me, and a quick peek proved that he was telling the truth. Slowly and stiffly I stood to my feet and made my way across the room to the closet. I put on the first clothes that my hands touched without really seeing them and then I turned to look at Edward who was staring out the window.

"You can turn around now," I whispered.

Edward turned slowly, clearly worried about what he was about to see.

_Edward_

To say that I was furious when Bella finally allowed me to turn and look at her would be a gross understatement. Indeed, it took every ounce of self-control that I had gained over the past ninety years not to leave her at that moment and track down whatever monster had done this and murder—no, torture him; murder was too good for him—him.

Bella's right cheek was swollen and a nasty bruise was blooming that covered much of her cheek. She was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top that allowed me to see the bruises that marred the perfect flesh of her arms—bruises made by fingers gripping her tender flesh harshly. I growled involuntarily and I'm not sure what I might have done had Bella not chosen that moment to speak.

"I was reading when he came into my room," she said softly.

I ripped my gaze away from her arms and fixed it on her eyes. They were focused on something far away, as though she was seeing something that I could not. "What did he do Bella?" I asked softly.

Looking away from me, she wrapped her arms protectively around herself and ignored my question. How I hated myself for pushing the matter—after all, I was almost certain of what had been done to her—but I knew that she had to admit what had been done to her before the wound could begin to heal.

I had resolved to keep my distance from her but when she began to shake again my resolve crumbled and she was in my arms in an instant. "Love… say it out loud," I murmured in her ear. "Say it."

Her shaking became more violent and I immediately loosened my hold on her as I heard her gasping for breath. "He—he raped me," she gasped out.

_Bella_

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the events of the last two hours were suddenly _real_ and not some bad dream as I'd been imagining.

Suddenly the cool arms that held me comfortingly were transformed into warm arms that kept me captive. With a scream, I twisted away, falling onto my bed when the arms released me without a fight. Quickly I jumped off the bed and cowered in the corner, lost in my dark flashback.

Just as suddenly as it began it was over. Edward was watching me from the other side of the bed, fury, pain and anxiety mixed in his expression as he leaned towards me. "Bella, are you—" he let his voice trail off, knowing that I was nowhere near the land of 'okay' and not wanting to force me to admit it. Standing up, I walked back over to him wordlessly.

"Bella," he whispered in a tone so bleak and haunted that it frightened me. His hand stretched out towards me but froze an inch away from my cheek before he let it drop. "I want to hunt this animal down and torture him for what he's done to you."

"But I don't want you to," I whispered. "You can't do anything like that for me."

"And why can't I?"

"Because you know that I believe you have a soul—and I won't have you risking it to get revenge for me."

He sighed. "I know… That is the only reason that I am still here," he replied, lifting his hand to stroke my cheek again. This time it was me who stopped the caress by taking a step back out of his reach. I immediately felt a pang of guilt when I saw the hurt briefly flash across Edward's face before he could conceal it. "Edward—"

"It's all right, Bella—I understand."

I sighed. "No, you don't. Edward, I am okay with you touching me. I mean it," I insisted when I saw the doubt in his eyes. "It's just—you shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this."

"Like what?" he asked in shock.

"Dirty… unclean," I whispered in response.

_Edward_

I felt the almost irresistible pull to murder someone again as I saw the humiliation on Bella's face as she told me how she felt. I shook my head—as if she could ever be unworthy of my touch when the reality was quite the opposite and it was I who did not deserve her touch. I lifted my hand, slowly and deliberately pressing it to her cheek.

"Bella," I spoke slowly, trying to find the right words. "You have nothing to be ashamed of and you are _not _unclean or deserving of anything because of the actions of a monster."

She opened her mouth to protest but I softly pressed my lips to hers. I pulled away after a moment, my hands framing her face—my left hand ever so gently touching her swollen cheek—and pressed my forehead against hers. I looked into her eyes and breathed, "I love you."

_Bella_

How can he bear to touch me, to kiss me when I feel this way, like I'll never be clean again? "I need a shower," I said, pulling away and avoiding Edward's gaze.

"You really shouldn't do that," he said softly, but I knew that if I insisted he wouldn't stop me.

"I know," I admitted with a sigh.

Taking my hand in his, he squeezed it gently and then brushed a kiss across its palm. "Bella… If it would be any easier for you I could have Carlisle perform the exam here."

Relief and love spread through me as I stared into his golden eyes, so full of concern for me. His solution was perfect—I could do what I knew need to be done without having to submit to a stranger's poking and prodding in an all-too public environment.

"That would be perfect," I whispered. "Or I could go there."

"It's completely up to you, love—whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

"I want to go there," I replied without hesitation. "I can't—I can't be in this room another minute."

He nodded and pulled out his phone, flipping it open and hitting speed dial. " Carlisle, I'm bringing Bella over—do you have a rape kit or can you get one quickly?" He listened for a moment and then turned so that I couldn't hear his part of the conversation. I let my mind wander for a moment and then he had hung up and put the phone away. "Do you want to run or drive?" he asked casually.

"Run."

He smiled softly at me and picked me up in his arms, pausing to brush a light kiss along the length of my right cheek. It was sore but his cool lips brought a measure of relief and I sighed, allowing my head to fall back so that his lips could press against mine gently.

Maybe I would be all right after all…

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2: Learning to Deal

**Title:** In the Dark of the Night 2/?  
**Author's Note:** I kept the POV-shifting for this chapter because I wanted to show what was going on with Bella and Edward. The rest of the story will probably be one POV for each chapter, but no promises!

**Chapter 2: **Learning to Deal

"Bella," Esme murmured as she rushed forward to embrace me. "I'm so sorry to hear what happened to you."

I smiled weakly and hugged her back, the tears pooling in my eyes at the motherly affection I heard in her voice. It was all that I could do not to start sobbing right then and there but Edward saved me.

"Mom, you can have Bella all to yourself in a moment. She wants to get this over with."

"Oh, of course dear." She immediately released me and laid a gentle hand on Edward's arm, looking at him with questioning eyes. He answered her unspoken question with an almost imperceptible shake of his head and she sighed. "Carlisle is waiting for you in his office, Bella."

"Would you like me to stay here?" Edward asked. I hesitated for only a moment before I shook my head and held out my hand to take his and began to walk down the hallway.

When Carlisle had finished what he needed to do, he told me that I would have to call Charlie to do what needed to be done in order for the evidence he'd collected to be of any use. "I'm very sorry this happened to you," he told me, frowning. "I just don't understand how…" His voice trailed off and I saw Edward's eyes widen in surprise.

I knew what Carlisle was thinking but hadn't said—he didn't understand how Alice hadn't seen this coming. And I was wondering the same thing—not that I would ever blame her for it, of course. I had thought my attacker human, and Edward had confirmed that he was.

It was a fairly troubling thought.

"Are you ready to go back home?" Edward asked me, breaking my train of thought.

I shook my head. "No… I want to stay here tonight."

"I'll have to take you home in the morning before Charlie gets home… Do you want to call him?"

"I guess I'd better."

"We'll give you some privacy," Carlisle murmured as he handed me his cell phone. "Edward?"

Edward looked at me and didn't move to join Carlisle at the door until I nodded. "We'll be outside," Carlisle told me.

I smiled at him, appreciating his attempt to give me as much privacy as was possible with a houseful of vampires. "Thank you."

He nodded and they left the room. I waited for a minute before I opened the phone and dialed Charlie's number with trembling fingers.

_Edward_

Every instinct in my body screamed at me not to leave Bella alone even for a moment, but Carlisle thought it best that we give her privacy for this, and my mind knew that he was right.

_We'll be right outside._

I nodded slowly, letting out a deep breath. Even the knowledge that we would be able to hear her every movement wasn't enough to alleviate the anxiety that I felt.

_She will be all right, my son… Bella is a survivor. _

Carlisle's thoughts were joined with a sudden feeling of calmness settling over me. I didn't have to look or listen to know that Jasper had joined us outside. "Thank you," I said stiffly. I hated having my emotions controlled, but I knew that in this case it was for the best.

He gave me a sympathetic look and stepped aside to reveal Alice staring at me, her thoughts frantic and regretful.

_Edward, I'm so sorry! I don't know how I couldn't have seen what was going to happen… Was it a human? _

I nodded and her eyes widened.

_Then why didn't I see? _

I shrugged.

"It's really annoying when you guys do that," Emmett said as he joined us with Rosalie by his side.

Alice and I both ignored him, intent as we were on our internal conversation.

_Was there any scent surrounding her out of the ordinary? _

"No," I sighed. "The only scents in the entire house were human."

She frowned and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. That was not the answer that she wanted.

My concentration was broken when I heard Bella speak from inside of the house. "Edward…"

I was by her side within a second. She had fresh tears pooling in her eyes but in her eyes there was also a resolve not to let them fall.

"Charlie's coming home… I need to back there."

"I'll stay with you."

She smiled and took my hand into hers. "I was hoping that you would say that… Can I have a human minute before we leave?"

I nodded and turned to leave. "Of course you can."

"Edward?" I turned back to face her, curious at the uncertainty in her voice. "Can you send Rosalie in here please?"

"Rose?" I asked in surprise. Rose had never made any secret of her dislike of Bella and so the two had never really spoken before. "Why—"

_I told her my story._

I sighed. "Ah—yes, I'll tell her to come in."

She smiled at me. "Thank you."

_Bella_

Of course, there was no need for him to tell Rosalie that I wanted to talk to her. They passed each other in the doorway, a look of guilt on her face and a look of understanding on his.

"Bella," Rosalie greeted me quietly, sitting on the couch across from me as Edward left the room.

I smiled weakly and leaned forward. "Rosalie… I guess you know why I asked for you."

"I might have an idea."

I hesitated, taking a moment to really look at Rosalie as I'd never had the courage to do before, intimidated as I was by her beauty. I studied her face a little, but mostly I looked at her eyes. They were the same topaz color as Edward's and seemed to be filled with emotions that I couldn't quite name."

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, holding her gaze.

"Of course you can."

"After you were… How did it make you feel?"

"I felt like I was dirty," she responded quietly, looking down at her hands and breaking our gaze. "I remember thinking that I would never be clean again… and most of all, I felt like I should have stopped it somehow." Suddenly she met my eyes again, her golden eyes smoldering with determination and a fierce protectiveness that shocked me. "Bella, listen to me—what happened tonight was not your fault any more than it was mine."

I studied her perfect face trying to understand where her sudden concern had come from. Was it only an effect of the fact that I had gone through something that only she could fully understand or had it been there all along, hidden beneath her icy exterior?

She must have seen the confusion on my face because she was suddenly sitting next to me on the couch, taking my hand into hers. "Bella, I have a confession—and an apology—to make. I have been so unfair to you all this time… but I have been most unfair since we returned to Forks."

"Why—"

"I've been too proud to admit that I was wrong about you. I realized it not long after we left… When Alice told me about her vision of you jumping I felt so guilty. I had urged Edward to leave so many times since he'd met you, and I had been so horrible to you. The guilt was overwhelming—that was why I called him, actually. I wanted to beg his forgiveness. Of course, it didn't work out that way."

I winced at the memory of how close I had come to losing Edward that day.

"Then you saved his life, and I had every reason in the world to tell you then and there that I was wrong and that I was sorry for how cruel I had been to you… but I didn't. I apologized and thanked you, but my pride wouldn't allow me to admit that I had been wrong.

"When I told you my story I almost told you then, but once again my pride got in the way. I won't let it get in my way this time… Bella, I'm sorry for the way that I've treated you and I'd like to start over. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I can, Rose!" I wrapped my arms around her and she embraced me back. "You're like a sister to me already."

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Bella, Charlie's on the phone," Edward said hesitantly from the doorway. I pulled back and smiled at Rosalie as I stood to my feet. "Thank you, Rose."

She nodded and left the room as I took the phone from Edward. He turned to leave again but I lay a hand on his shoulder, silently asking him to stay. He nodded and didn't move as I talked to Charlie.

I smiled at him as I closed the phone. "He was just checking up on me."

He nodded. "Alice would like a moment alone with you."

I sighed, already knowing what she would want to talk to me about. Then I smiled because I knew that she would try to cheer me up. "Okay."

No sooner was the word out of my mouth then Alice was dancing into the room, her eyes full of apologies. Edward quietly left the room, giving us privacy.

_Edward_

After I left Alice with Bella I went to find Rose. She was underneath the hood of one of our cars, not surprisingly. Whenever she revealed more of herself than she meant to she tried to lose herself in mechanical work. "Rosalie."

"What?"

"I just wanted to thank you… for what you did for Bella tonight."

She sighed and straightened up so that she could look at me. "I didn't do it for you."

I nodded. "I know—but I appreciate it all the same."

Her thoughts were wistful as she wondered if she might have dealt with her own rape differently if she'd had someone like me there for her afterwards. The wondering was useless of course—if Carlisle hadn't changed her she would be dead now. Royce and his friends had done serious damage to her physically as well as emotionally.

"She's lucky to have you," Rosalie said softly, despite the fact that she knew I could hear her thinking it. "She's strong, don't get me wrong, but I don't know that she'd be strong enough to get through this if she didn't have you to hold onto."

I didn't know what to say so I simply nodded, hoping that the thanks in my eyes would communicate itself to her. She nodded back and disappeared beneath the hood once again.

_Edward, we're done. Bella would like to go home now… Charlie will be there soon. _

I returned to the room and Alice gave Bella another hug before she left the room. "Are you ready to go home now?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, please."

As we left to return to her house, I could hear Alice thinking as loudly as she could. _I'm sorry Edward… The only thing I can think of is that maybe one of the pack was around._

My eyes narrowed and my lip pulled back in a snarl when I heard this. Bella didn't smell like wolf… but that didn't mean that they hadn't been by her house, blinding Alice and enabling Bella's rape. And if that was the case… the person responsible would pay. I would see to that.

TO BE CONTINUED


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